host @the_buildooor content/media advisor @input_global | priors: @Cointelegraph @benzinga @capitalcom | im actually really into music & books
Joined March 2017
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- Followers2.5K
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catherine retweeted
"You have 2 weeks to finish your raise, or we're out."
The reality of the crypto trenches isn't Lambos and up-only charts. It’s receiving a VC ultimatum right after Christmas while moving your family across the country.
@tre_poh and @joostienXD from @Polysights joined @rossreports to pull back the curtain on the psychological warfare of a term sheet and what it actually costs to build an intelligence layer that matters.
Stay tuned for the full ep.
catherine retweeted
“Bitcoiners don’t leave Bitcoin” says @opnetbtc co-founder @chadmasterxbt to chief buildooor @rossreports and @TalHarelTal
Watch the latest episode to find out:
- why building on Bitcoin could be ‘lonely’, but still crucial
- how to maximize your crypto conference hustle
- and why you should hire the “Taylor Swifts” of crypto developers for your startup
0:00 Intro
04:03 Chad and OP Net
09:46 Tal’s sad eyes
10:24 Is DeFi on BTC even possible?
13:33 Original use case of BTC
17:49 BTC as a story of value narrative
21:22 Are people still building on BTC?
23:12 Challenges of building on BTC
28:50 Being a founder in the Bitcoin space
33:30 Why sticking to one narrative is essential to success
35:22 Living and building in a hacker’s house
41:20 Is it worth going to conferences these days? And how to make the most of it if you do go
52:20 Anonymity in crypto: trend or necessity
54:40 How to hire efficiently for your team
catherine retweeted
Living and building together — too tough or the only way to succeed?
A moment of escapism with today's Gulf region situation.
@chadmasterxbt from @opnetbtc tells @rossreports and @TalHarelTal how he and half of this team live and build the company together in a house in Abu Dhabi.
On the importance of team dedication, talented developers, why building on @Bitcoin is still very relevant, and many more.
Full episode drops on Wednesday 👇
my favorite interview so far! Aya has an amazing founder energy, and i think every buildooor could learn from her
"I make mistakes all the time."
@aya_kantor isn't just running two companies (@august_digital, @upshift_fi), she’s doing it with a 9-month-old.
Aya shared with @rossreports how she handles feedback, uses Claude to remove human bias, and why she's the last person at the gym.
Timestamps:
1:54 VC Perspective vs. Founder Reality
4:33 Why 9-to-5s are dying in crypto
9:10 Running two companies at once
11:50 Making the wrong priority decisions
12:55 The "Micromanager" Hard Truth
17:04 Using AI to remove management bias
20:20 How we use Claude in our startups
22:30 Founder's daily schedule
25:40 Is "Stress" a privilege?
29:39 How a baby made me more efficient
32:20 Raising a Seed round during FTX week
36:15 Hard Truth: It won't get easier
43:30 The "unwind" ritual
48:33 A book every founder should read
catherine retweeted
"We were raising our seed round the week FTX collapsed. I read the news and just slid onto the floor".
@rossreports sat down with @aya_kantor, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of @august_digital, and @upshift_fi to chat about decision making, getting feedback, and work-life balance as a founder.
Full episode drops Monday.
catherine retweeted
"The whole global banking system. I'd describe it as a cartel. There are 5-6 banks that control the whole system."
@rossreports sat down with @panosmek, CEO of @AnodosFinance to discuss the hard truth: banks are literally squeezing people dry, and the "crypto" label might be doing us more harm than good.
Full episode drops Wednesday.
catherine retweeted
Had a great time talking Bach, Knausgård, Stalin, Young Jeezy, nuclear war, wealth tax, running a startup etc with @rossreports - check it out
$69.42M raised. $1B valuation.
Most people see the success of @Dune, but they don't see what's it like behind the scenes.
@rossreports sat down with @hagaetc to talk about why he left Norway, business decisions, and why your team is your real infrastructure.
0:00 Intro
1:32 Spotify, Bach & Rap for deep work
5:05 Why memoir books are good for you
09:04 A fiction book every founder should read
13:48 Why Fredrik is not worried about AI taking over
15:42 Why Fredrik left Norway to build Dune
18:55 The best country to build in
21:37 Sacrifices for success
23:12 Why socialism is bad for business
24:02 What most people get wrong about progress
26:29 Explaining Dune to family
27:28 Is Dune at its best right now?
30:15 Why building a product is like surfing
32:54 Fredrik as a leader
35:32 What it takes to build with your co-founder
38:40 The biggest regret
41:43 The best advice to founders
44:17 How Fredrik unplugs
we talked about Bach, rap, nuclear wars, taxes, books, and many more
thank you @hagaetc
$69.42M raised. $1B valuation.
Most people see the success of @Dune, but they don't see what's it like behind the scenes.
@rossreports sat down with @hagaetc to talk about why he left Norway, business decisions, and why your team is your real infrastructure.
0:00 Intro
1:32 Spotify, Bach & Rap for deep work
5:05 Why memoir books are good for you
09:04 A fiction book every founder should read
13:48 Why Fredrik is not worried about AI taking over
15:42 Why Fredrik left Norway to build Dune
18:55 The best country to build in
21:37 Sacrifices for success
23:12 Why socialism is bad for business
24:02 What most people get wrong about progress
26:29 Explaining Dune to family
27:28 Is Dune at its best right now?
30:15 Why building a product is like surfing
32:54 Fredrik as a leader
35:32 What it takes to build with your co-founder
38:40 The biggest regret
41:43 The best advice to founders
44:17 How Fredrik unplugs
catherine retweeted
"You can’t build the product without the team." The Dune team is what makes Dune, Dune.
We are hiring top talent to join us in building the most trusted Onchain Data Platform.
Explore our open roles now 👇
Most founders think the code is the hard part.
@hagaetc of @Dune disagrees.
@rossreports: "What's harder, building the product or the team?"
Fredrik: "You can’t build the product without the team."
Full episode drops Wednesday.
‘we can shout at each other one moment, and the next one we’re going to dinner together’
lessons on fast decisions, egos, and financial management from @itamarl
"If you're a solo founder, one day you will give up."
@itamarl (CEO of @ready_co) has been in the game since 2017. He’s survived the "broken dreams" of the last two cycles by breaking every "standard" startup rule.
From $1M/month gas bills to 3-year runways.
0:00 Intro
2:22 From tech to volatility
4:23 The web’s original sin
5:30 Ready: an app, a wallet, and a neobank
8:57 The vision: then vs now
11:45 Leading a remote company efficiently
14:15 A founder’s life
16:58 UX/UI in web3 vs web2
20:12 Being a great leader
24:04 Supporting your team throughout bear cycles
26:25 Planning your company’s financials as a pro
29:28 Fundraising in 2025-2026
32:47 From [crypto] trauma to sanity
34:10 Staying friends with your co-founders, really
39:16 Tweeting as a crypto founder: ups and downs
all dressed up and nothing to record
aka found out that the podcast has been rescheduled a minute before going live 🫠
catherine retweeted
Solana or Ethereum? Coffee or Tea? Are bridges the final boss of crypto?
Our latest "60 Seconds with a Buildooor" @PhilippZentner weighs in on the big questions: bridges, cross-chain UX, and the one crypto buzzword they'd kill forever.
catherine retweeted
A bit more of a personal episode.
We sat down with @PhilippZentner, Co-Founder and CEO of @lifiprotocol, to reveal the side of building that rarely gets told.
What started as an idea now powers $50B+ in swaps for MetaMask, Phantom, Robinhood Wallet, and 650+ teams.
Tune in.
00:00 How LIFI became the backbone of multichain
03:05 What a founder’s day really looks like
04:55 The unexpected role yoga plays in staying sane
06:36 Yoga can help prevent scams?
11:08 The leadership rule that helps scale
13:28 The 2 traits that matter most when hiring
17:15 The hiring mistakes that sting the hardest
21:29 The tough trade-offs behind every big decision
27:55 The sacrifices builders rarely admit
33:20 Finding balance without slowing down
36:00 The shift from building products to leading people
42:35 How to build through any market cycle
45:26 The ethical questions that shape real products
49:50 What it actually takes to raise capital today
54:06 Books that change how builders think
Officially back at it. I've been lucky to become a host of @The_Buildooor, where I get to talk to the builders of this space about what they do, how they do it, and how much it costs them -- monetary, physically, mentally
My first guest is @PhilippZentner of @lifiprotocol who was kind enough to open up and don't hold back
nitter.cf/The_Buildooor/status/1…
We sat down with @PhilippZentner, Co-Founder and CEO of @lifiprotocol, to reveal the side of building that rarely gets told.
What started as an idea now powers $50B+ in swaps for MetaMask, Phantom, Robinhood Wallet, and 650+ teams.
Tune in.
00:00 How LIFI became the backbone of multichain
03:05 What a founder’s day really looks like
04:55 The unexpected role yoga plays in staying sane
06:36 Yoga can help prevent scams?
11:08 The leadership rule that helps scale
13:28 The 2 traits that matter most when hiring
17:15 The hiring mistakes that sting the hardest
21:29 The tough trade-offs behind every big decision
27:55 The sacrifices builders rarely admit
33:20 Finding balance without slowing down
36:00 The shift from building products to leading people
42:35 How to build through any market cycle
45:26 The ethical questions that shape real products
49:50 What it actually takes to raise capital today
54:06 Books that change how builders think
catherine retweeted
Everyone sees the success, but no one sees the sacrifice.
He built a protocol used by Phantom, MetaMask, and 650+ other projects, but at what cost?
@PhilippZentner, founder and CEO of @lifiprotocol reveals the dark reality that no one talks about.
The decisions, the pressure, the loneliness, and the trade-offs, that made LiFi protocol one of the best cross chain aggregators today.
Full episode drops this Wednesday 👇
catherine retweeted
Meet the judges for the 2025 Rising Women in Crypto Awards! 🌟
We’re excited to introduce this year’s panel of judges, a group of accomplished leaders, innovators, and changemakers shaping the future of blockchain and Web3.
Each judge brings a unique perspective and deep expertise, helping us recognize the incredible women driving progress across the industry.
Here’s who will be reviewing the nominations this year:
🔹 @AdaVaughan - Senior Director of DeFi Partnerships at @StellarOrg Development Foundation
🔹 Alena Afanaseva - Founder & CEO at @beincrypto
🔹 Allison Alvarez - COO & Co-Founder at @gameduk_la
🔹 Catherine Ross-Mychka (@rossreports) - A journalist, writer, and host of podcasts and events
🔹 Maria Pia Paolicelli - Web3 Partnerships Manager & Co-Founder of CryptoGirl
These inspiring voices share one goal: to celebrate and empower the next generation of women making an impact in crypto and beyond.
Learn more about our judges here 👇
wirexapp.com/blog/post/meet-…
Nominate an inspiring woman (or yourself) who’s making an impact in crypto today! 👇
wirexapp.com/women-in-crypto…
